Perseus washing his hands after liberating Andromeda and placing the head of Medusa on a bed of leaves and sea weed

Attributed to Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem (Haarlem 1562-1638)
Perseus washing his hands after liberating Andromeda and placing the head of Medusa on a bed of leaves and sea weed
oil on panel, unframed
34.5 x 51.6 cm.

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Lot essay

Pieter van Thiel dates the present picture to 1621/2 on the basis of comparison with Cornelis van Haarlem's Cymon and Iphigenia dated 1621 in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow, and The Hesperides filling the Cornucopia dated 1622 in the Hornstein collection, Montreal (op. cit.). Although not completely sure about the attribution, Van Thiel points out that details like the shield and the faces of the nymphs are typical of the artist. The landscape is rather unusual for Van Haarlem and Van Thiel suggests that it may be by another hand (written communication, 8 February 2008).

We are grateful to Drs. Pieter van Thiel, formerly Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, for his help in cataloguing this lot.

Cataloguing & details

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